Ryse: Son of Rome was released for the Xbox One one year ago as a shining example to illustrate the evolution of the next generation games’ graphics. Stating the obvious:

Detailed character models with convincing facial expressions, great textures, epic battle scenes with great effects and a stunning lighting effects made this game look unbelievable well. Now Crytek released this game for the PC with some innovations.

The actual game content itself does not change:

In the PC version, we also slip into the role of the roman soldier Marius Titus. In the beginning of the story we flee from a group of British barbarians. The Emperor is on our side. Ryse tells an emotional story which offers great entertainment. This gives our generic looking hero a little bit more depth of character.

In our journey through the ancient world we stumble through eight chapters, which are staged in various scenarios. As an alternative to the campaign missions we can jump into the arena of the gladiator. We are able to fight alone or in co-op. The PC version contains all previously released additional content. This includes new armor and arenas for the gladiator contests and a new survival mode, where we fight against increasingly tougher waves of enemies. What else is included in the PC version? Five new character skins, eleven arena maps, five single player arena maps, three survival maps, the sword Legionnaire’s Trust.

Our goal in this game is usually the same: kill, kill, kill, run to the next section, continue killing. The gameplay is also always the same: block enemies’ attacks, attack, stab. In the right moment we can initiate a special execution. The focus of the combat mechanics is laid entirely on the violent executions. Ryse focuses on a spectacular presentation, even if the fun of the gameplay is sometimes lost. Players can unlock new execution maneuvers, but they deliver only new animations for the game, not new mechanics.

All other new changes are more cosmetic: The optimization for 4K resolution requires an additional graphics controller for shaders and particle effects, anti-aliasing and texture filtering. The result are impressive: Ryse has spectacular graphics, the characters are exactly like the textures: gorgeously detailed, the facial expressions of the characters are expressive.

Despite the lack of gameplay depth Ryse offers rich effects staged on great entertainment. Action fans will love the violent battles and the great story. Because of the same constant fight mechanics, this game could be quickly boring. The PC-Version of Ryse: Son of Rome is a game which you could easily rent in a video store and play it at the weekend. Crytek once again shows its ability of implementing gorgeous graphics into a game. We think, you should give the game a try, because we love to be entertained like this.

Tested and written by Lias Kudla & Marcel Krafczyk